The Office of Research Support (ORS) does not administer or oversee HOP policy 5-2011 or training related to the policy. ORS administers HOP policy 7-1210, “Promoting Objectivity in Research by Managing, Reducing or Eliminating Financial Conflicts of Interest” so if you conduct research and have:

Previously submitted a FID, you are not required to complete additional training nor re-disclose the same information to comply with the UTS 180/HOP 5-2011 policy requirements. However, you may have other responsibilities under that policy.

Spotlights

Program helps researchers prepare grants proposals for NIH

Starting with the National Institutes for Health, project's goal is
to increase chances of research funding through centralized support.

University of Texas at Austin researchers are getting a hand in seeking
grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from the Office of
the Vice President for Research's NIH Initiative.

The ultimate aim of two-year project is to shorten the time it takes
for junior faculty to obtain their first extramural grants. While NIH
is the current focus, the project might be expanded to a more general
grant-writing program. Dr. Sharon A. Brown, associate vice president
for research, is heading the project, which is to demonstrate the value
of centralized support for faculty seeking NIH grants..

The initiative is a boot camp for grant-seeking researchers. It sponsors
proposal-writing workshops, mentor groups and speakers and serves as
a resource on funding techniques and practices. In addition, a program
coordinator provides technical assistance to researchers when they put
proposals together.

The NIH, comprising 27 separate institutes and centers, is the federal
government's focal point for medical research in the United States. Over
the past five years, its research and development budget has nearly doubled
to $26.2 billion in fiscal 2003. In fiscal 2002, 184 University of Texas
at Austin researchers received $41.3 million from the NIH. That was up
from 165 researchers receiving $34 million the previous year. The NIH
accounted for 17 percent of the university's $255 million R&D funding
from federal sources in fiscal 2002.

The NIH Initiative focuses on faculty new to the university, but it's
also open to faculty new to the process of seeking NIH funding. "They're
getting expert assistance for their proposals," said Elena Mota,
NIH Initiative program coordinator.

One aspect of the initiative illustrates the kind of help it offers.
Over the past five months, a group researchers led by Brown has learned
about the NIH funding process, and budgetary matters. Each member of
the group has begun writing an NIH research plan for a future submission.
The group pitches into edit each proposal and identify where it could
be improved. Then the proposals will get another round of review from
Elizabeth Tornquist, a technical writer from the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill and who is considered an expert in the NIH funding
process. Also, each proposal will get a content review by experts in
that field.

In April, Tornquist headlined a campus workshop on proposal writing.
She's also helped some faculty members improve their chances by providing
professional technical editing services.

Coming June 25, Dr. Anthony Coelho, Review Policy Officer in the Office
of Extramural Research Office of the Director at NIH, will speak to university
faculty members about different NIH funding mechanisms available. He'll
also provide general tips to help faculty navigate the NIH maze.